


Wetdust's Ambition

by TortieMom



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/F, OC centric, Original Characters - Freeform, Words on Warriors Stream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-06-27 08:26:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19787071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TortieMom/pseuds/TortieMom
Summary: All her life, Wetdust had one goal: beat Duckflight to the position of deputy in their respective Clans with Coldflower at her side. But just when her dreams were in reach of her paws, betrayal and heartbreak ripped them away from her. In order to piece together the broken remains of her life, Wetdust will have to learn to trust her own instinct and drive. With her friends Cherrytail and Splashmist supporting her, there may still be hope.Then an ominous message comes from StarClan: "Beware the mud that dries at dusk..."Story elements chosen by WOW Stream #5 Chat Participants. Allegiances generated by FalconDevelop's "A Paw In Each World: Untold Legacy" Allegiances Generator.





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WOW Stream Chat](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=WOW+Stream+Chat).



**ThunderClan**

Leader: Cherrystar, pink she-cat

Deputy: Nutsky, brown she-cat; Apprentice: Horsepaw

Medicine Cat: Meadowspots, dark cream tom

Warriors:

Sharpwillow, speckled brown tom

Adderwing, fierce black she-cat

Lightfrost, dark cream tom; Apprentice: Weaselpaw

Spiderheather, dark cream tom

Sootspring, silvery gray she-cat

Apprentices:

Horsepaw, mottled brown she-cat

Weaselpaw, light brown tom

Queens:

Dawnflight, dark brown she-cat with a jagged white marking, mother to Greenkit (creamy brown tom) and Sagekit (mottled brown tom)

**ShadowClan**

Leader: Honeystar, silver gray tom with dark brown stripes

Deputy: Scorchswipe, pink she-cat

Medicine Cat: Splashmist, black tom; Apprentice: Featherpaw

Warriors:

Wetdust, dark black she-cat; Apprentice: Rowanpaw

Redgoose, ginger tom; Apprentice: Tawnypaw

Cherrytail, cream tom with icy eyes

Sedgeear, orange tabby tom; Apprentice: Rustpaw

Apprentices:

Featherpaw, light cream she-cat

Rowanpaw, black and brown tom

Tawnypaw, black she-cat

Rustpaw, black and brown tom

Queens:

Deerflame, agile light cream she-cat

**WindClan**

Leader:Flintstar, golden tabby tom with long, fluffy fur

Deputy: Mistyfern, light orange she-cat, former RiverClan cat; Apprentice: Rubblepaw; mother of Sparrowkit (bright ginger she-kit)

Medicine Cat: Deercry, short haired black tom

Warriors:

Swallowsong, light orange she-cat, former medicine cat apprentice

Wolfspeck, blue-gray tom; Apprentice: Ashpaw

Marshwatcher, white she-cat; Apprentice: Pearpaw

Apprentices:

Pearpaw, light orange tom

Ashpaw, golden brown she-cat

Rubblepaw, light orange she-cat

Elders:

Echobranch, golden brown tom

**RiverClan**

Leader: Duckstar, blue-gray tom

Deputy: Hollowshine, dark brown tom

Medicine Cat: Cricketthicket, golden brown tom with darker specks

Warriors:

Lioncry, golden brown tom

Rockyflame, dark orange tom; Apprentice: Hollypaw

Sandshine, golden brown she-cat

Apprentices:

Hollypaw, blue gray tom

Queens:

Furzestem, golden brown she-cat with a cream tipped tail; mother to Sorrelkit (golden brown she-kit), Tumblekit (golden brown tabby she-kit), and Morningkit (golden brown tom-kit)

Elders:

Shadefoot, gray she-cat

Thunderbird, dark cream she-cat

Specklepad, brown she-cat

**Cats Outside the Clans**

Coldflower, long-limbed black she-cat (formerly ShadowClan)

Moth, dark gray and white tom with long fur

Sweet, dark tortoiseshell tom


	2. Prologue

_Prologue_

Wetdust's hackles rose at the scent of ThunderClan cats near the Thunderpath. Her claws slid out of their sheathes and she took a deep breath. Beside her, Coldflower and Yellowstar bristled.

For a moment, all was still. Then a yowl split the air.

“ _ThunderClan, attack_!”

From the bushes emerged an entire patrol of ThunderClan warriors, teeth bared and claws unsheathed, ready to tear into the ShadowClan patrol. Yellowstar held her ground, rearing up onto her hind legs to swipe at a slender black she-cat. “Fight, my warriors!”

Wetdust didn't need to be told twice. She lunged forward, tackling a dusky pink-grey she-cat to the ground. In the heat of battle, it didn't matter who the cat was, but Wetdust distantly recalled seeing her at the foot of the Great Rock during Gatherings—ThunderClan's deputy, Cherryfur. Then Thunderstar knew of this attack!

Her rage at ThunderClan's disrespect pushed new strength into Wetdust's paws, and she ignored the sharp bite on her flank to slash Cherryfur's ears. “Get off our territory!”

Her swipe landed hard against Cherryfur's head, leaving the enemy she-cat reeling. Wetdust leapt, pinning her down to prove her point—ShadowClan warriors would _not_ be beaten on their own land, and leaving a few claw marks on the deputy would show Thunderstar that they weren't afraid to fight back.

Claws dug into Wetdust's pelt, hauling her off Cherryfur. She turned, ready to face another ThunderClan warrior, but it was Coldflower's light green gaze that met hers. Her eyes were as frigid as her namesake, her muzzle twisted in a hiss.

“Coldflower?” Wetdust gaped, unable to do anything but stare as the she-cat she loved raked her claws over her ear. The smell of blood brought her back to herself. “What are you doing, Coldflower? I'm not the enemy—get _them_!”

Cherryfur's laugh crept under Wetdust's pelt. The ThunderClan she-cat stood and wound around Coldflower, resting her tail over her flank. Their pelts brushed together, and a droplet of blood smeared from Cherryfur's pelt across Coldflower's.

Coldflower's face slowly fell as she watched the realization reach Wetdust.

“It was an ambush,” Cherryfur smirked to drive her claws into the open wound, “And a successful one. No Clan will ever threaten ThunderClan's hold on the forest now. Watch!”

Wetdust whipped around to look for Yellowstar. The aging she-cat was chasing the black ThunderClan cat across the Thunderpath, but she wasn't as fast as she used to be, nor as perceptive. She didn't sense the monster barreling down the Thunderpath toward her.

“Yellowstar!” Wetdust yowled, and Cherryfur leapt on her back, digging her claws in and forcing her onto the ground. Her chin struck the dirt hard, forcing her mouth shut and cutting off her warning. Cherryfur's claws sank into her forehead, keeping her from turning her head as the monster tore into Yellowstar.

Coldflower gasped and buried her face into Cherryfur's shoulder. Wetdust wanted to believe the she-cat had been tricked, but the way she pressed herself against Cherryfur proved that these two she-cats were not new acquaintances.

She swallowed hard. Her leader was dead, murdered by another Clan. What did it matter that Coldflower didn't love her?

_It doesn't matter,_ she told herself.  _What matters is making ThunderClan pay!_

With a wild hiss she surged up, trying to throw Cherryfur off, but the she-cat raked her hind claws over Wetdust's back as she clung to her, ripping out chunks of black fur. Wetdust rolled, trying to catch Cherryfur under her, but the moment she twisted onto her back Coldflower was on her, claws digging into her chest.

“Stay down, Wetdust. This battle is over,” Coldflower mewed.

“It isn't over,” Wetdust spat, shoving Coldflower off her. “It will _never_ be over as long as you draw breath.”

It was an impossible thought, but she was outnumbered against them. Just that morning, she would have trusted Coldflower to fight beside her against all odds. There was no familiarity in her once-gentle mew or the sweep of her plumed tail. This wasn't the sweet she-cat Wetdust loved; this was a stranger capable of conspiring to murder her own Clan leader.

So Wetdust ran, as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the pain spreading across her back and in her chest. She had to get back to camp and tell Honeyheart what happened.

She had to begin plotting her revenge.


	3. Chapter One

_Chapter One_

Rowanpaw sniffed apprehensively at the air, twitching his whiskers at every trembling leaf and swaying stalk of grass.

“Get a move on,” Wetdust grumbled. “Any cat would think you didn’t want to be a warrior at this rate!”

“I do!” Rowanpaw mewed fiercely, as if that would prove his dedication, and took a firmer step across the moor.

Wetdust supposed she ought to appreciate her apprentice’s hesitance to get comfortable on another Clan’s territory, even if they were sticking to the agreed-upon trail to Highstones and were traveling with their medicine cat. Most apprentices got foolhardy, thinking WindClan’s warriors couldn’t touch them. How wrong they were! No WindClan cat would stop a medicine cat or leader from sharing dreams with StarClan, but if an arrogant apprentice started mouthing off, they’d have no problem sending _them_ back to camp with a few scratches for the trouble.

“Don’t mind her,” Splashmist mewed, though he did pick up their pace across the moor; not to get them closer to Highstones, but to put distance between them and the Thunderpath. Even though they used the tunnel underneath to cross, Wetdust was still uneasy around the treacherous trail that took their leader’s life.

Her claws still itched to claw Cherryfur—now Cherry _star_ ’s—pelt off whenever she thought of that fateful day, moons ago.

For her successful raid against ShadowClan, Cherryfur was named Thunderstar’s new deputy. The old fool lost his last life to greencough not long after, and now the arrogant she-cat ruled ThunderClan without regard for any other Clan’s territory. Not that Wetdust particularly minded. She’d give anything for the chance to rip into ThunderClan’s warriors, though they suspiciously avoided ShadowClan’s border. Instead they pestered RiverClan about Sunningrocks at every Gathering.

With Yellowstar’s passing, Honeyheart became Honeystar, but Wetdust’s injuries crushed any hopes of becoming deputy. She was relegated to the medicine den for almost a moon while Splashmist struggled against the infection that took hold in her wounds, and Scorchswipe took her place. The she-cat never let her forget it, either.

Wetdust knew why she _really_ lost her shot at becoming deputy. Coldflower’s betrayal shook the whole Clan, but she disappeared. No patrol ever caught her scent drifting from ThunderClan’s border, and she was never seen at Gatherings. Wetdust didn’t put it past a cat like Cherrystar to take credit for the whole ambush and find a way to keep Coldflower quiet about her involvement.

Even now, Wetdust couldn’t bring herself to blame Coldflower—but ShadowClan needed someone to blame. And without Coldflower around, it was all too easy to turn on Wetdust.

She was surprised when she received Rowanpaw as her second apprentice, but the Clan was short on good mentors at the moment, and everyone liked her last apprentice, Cherrytail, well enough to allow her another one.

“Do you think we’ll see Yellowstar?” Rowanpaw asked quietly as Highstones came into view.

“ _We_ won’t,” Wetdust said. “Spashmist might, but normal warriors like us don’t talk to StarClan. We’ll see the Moonstone and then we’ll go.”

A flash of disappointment briefly crossed Rowanpaw’s eyes. “Featherpaw always says visiting the Moonstone and seeing StarClan is amazing.”

“Featherpaw is a medicine cat apprentice. You aren’t,” Wetdust said flatly. “If you want to spend your time sorting herbs and talking to dead cats, ask Splashmist to mentor you instead.”

“Featherpaw’s enough of a pawful, thanks,” Splashmist mewed, prodding Wetdust’s shoulder with a paw. For Rowanpaw’s reassurance, he added, “And she exaggerates. Medicine cats don’t _always_ see StarClan cats, just like warriors don’t _always_ fight battles. It happens, but less often than you think. Usually talking to a StarClan cat is just frustrating, since they can never just say what they mean.” The long-furred black tom purred in amusement, “You’re lucky you don’t have to see her, or she might find the most round-about way to tell you to check the elders for ticks.”

“That would only happen if I was talking to Wetdust in StarClan,” Rowanpaw said.

“And it will,” Wetdust replied, brushing her tail over his nose. “I’ll visit Featherpaw’s dreams every night and tell her to give you chores from me. And you’ll have to do them, each and every one.”

Most other Clan cats would consider it morbid to talk about death and joining StarClan so lightly, but a ShadowClan warriors’ humor was nothing if not dark. They often joked among themselves that the true meaning behind their Clan’s name was not their shadowy territory or their tendency to hunt at night, but a description of their sense of humor.

They arrived at Highstones just after sundown, leaving them in the fleeting bits of twilight as they approached the entrance.

“Remember,” Wetdust said, “Once we go in, no talking. Trust your instincts and keep moving forward.”

Rowanpaw nodded, and down they went, down, down, down, into the earth. Wetdust didn’t understand how WindClan cats did this willingly, chasing rabbits into their burrows—but then, she also didn’t understand how RiverClan cats could dive into water or ThunderClan cats could race along branches after their fresh-kill. The tunnel pressed in on all sides, and the air ahead tasted stale and foreboding.

She remembered the first time she came down here, back when she was Yellowstar’s apprentice. She didn’t like it any more as a warrior.

Reaching the innermost cave, where the Moonstone lay in wait, took ages. All the while Wetdust’s pelt pricked at the thought that if she were deputy, she would have one day made the journey into this tunnel to receive her nine lives.

 _Maybe it’s best that you didn’t, then,_ she thought to herself, trying to find anything to quell the negative emotions before the Moonstone. _If you were leader, you’d have to come down here far more often._

They arrived just as the moon came into position above, its light shining down and reflecting off the giant star-colored stone in the center of the cave. Rowanpaw gasped, and Wetdust prepared to quiet him, but he said nothing.

Splashmist gave them a nod and tucked his paws under him in front of the stone, pressing his nose to it. A shudder shook his body, and he was soon asleep. Wetdust seated herself some distance away, keeping an eye on the tunnel back to the surface, while Rowanpaw walked in a slow circle around the Moonstone to admire it from all angles.

The medicine cat jerked his head up too quickly. At first Wetdust started to question whether he’d been unable to meet with StarClan, but remembered the oath of silence all warriors were bound to within Mothermouth. With a gesture of his tail, Splashmist led the way back to the surface, which was mercifully quicker than the long trek down.

“It was… strange,” Splashmist said once they emerged into the fresh night air, which was never more refreshing than after being underground. “StarClan sent a message, only for ShadowClan.”

“Wow,” Rowanpaw’s eyes were wide, and Wetdust worried he might seriously consider changing his apprenticeship. That wouldn’t look good.

“What did they say?” Wetdust asked.

“It was…” Splashmist closed his mouth when he turned to look at her. “I should talk to Honeystar first. Let’s go home.”

And so they went, and at a steady pace despite the hunger gnawing all of their bellies.

Wetdust looked after her littermate curiously as his black pelt vanished into shadows and reappeared in the moonlight.

For some strange reason, she got the feeling that StarClan’s message might be about her… and whatever it was, Splashmist didn’t want her to know.


End file.
